Testimonials
Distinguished Violinists and Educators
PER GISLE HAAGENRUD – Teacher and Coordinator for Young Talents, Barratt Due, Bergen, Norway
"I am impressed by the way these studies are constructed. They are a valuable supplement to other editions, clearly describing useful techniques. The focus on using the entire fingerboard is very important and often overlooked. Teachers and students alike will benefit greatly from this work."
ALF RICHARD KRAGGERUD – Violinist, Conductor, Teacher at Barratt-Due Music Institute, Oslo, Norway
"Divide et Impera is a most valued contribution to the violin literature and to the shaping of the left hand of future violinists. The exercises are based on a solid frame of a fourth and will give the violinists security on the fingerboard and equal knowledge of all parts of the violin. The exercises are constructed so you easily can move the different shapes of the left hand fingers to every part of the violin. Mastering the fingerboard suddenly seems a little bit easier. Every violinist should try out these wonderful exercises for themselves and with their students."
MACIEJ RAKOWSKI – Professor of Violin, Royal College of Music in London, United Kingdom
"Divide Et Impera" and "ABC" by Kristoffer Dolatko is a valuable addition to all existing works on violin technique. It is a series of left hand shape patterns intelligently designed with clear instructions. Impressive presentation of simple and yet very effective exercises. It is as good or better than most works available at present. Without a doubt, children, students, and professionals will find this book very valuable and extremely useful.
MAGNUS ERICSSON – Professor of Violin, Ingesund School of Music, Karlstad University, Sweden
"Kristoffer Dolatko's method book with violin technique is a very exciting and useful material for both young talents and professional musicians. He has shown through his fantastic student results that the method works excellently."
RAFFAELA ACELLA – Professor of Violin, Irun, Spain
"Professor Kristoffer Dolatko's opus 'Dividere et Impera' is, in my opinion, a violinistic goldmine for all violinists regardless of their age or stage of development. The exercises that comprise the opus are simple, very thorough and extremely clear and concise. With 15–20 minutes of daily practice, students experienced great improvement in left hand posture, a deeper knowledge of the fingerboard map, and vastly improved intonation. These exercises will soon become an invaluable teaching aid."
PAUL ROCZEK – Professor Emeritus, University Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria
"Prof. Dolatko’s books "ABC" and "Divide Et Impera" are highly effective exercises for the shaping of the left hand. They give students greater security in high positions, improve efficiency in sight reading, and strengthen intonation. I recommend these books for young violinists of every age; just a few minutes of daily use brings excellent results."
RUTH WALTERS – Professor of Violin, Junior Guildhall School of Music, London, United Kingdom
"The student or professional violinist alike will find in Kristoffer Dolatko's 'Divide Et Impera' a thoroughly accessible and ingeniously thought-out range of sequential exercises. They are concise, easy to memorize, and transposed across the entire fingerboard, training flexibility and secure intonation."
SØREN STEENSGAARD – Violin Teacher, Aarhus Musikskole, Denmark
"„Divide et Impera" by Kristoffer Dolatko brings new ideas about left hand technique. Any exercise can be transferred to any section of the fingerboard simply by moving up or down a minor third, providing endless possibilities. Establishing a secure left hand frame in all positions ensures spotless intonation — indispensable for today’s violinist."
DETLEF HAHN – Professor of Violin, Royal College of Music in London, United Kingdom
"As the title of Kristoffer Dolatko's exercises suggests, mastery of the instrument depends on the player's ability to understand the various positions of the violin, coupled with solid control of the left hand and its various patterns. The exercises therefore not only provide a thorough knowledge of the entire fingerboard, but also train the player's hearing and reflexes. The result will not only be a clearer internal picture of different tonalities (and atonalities) that will be quickly translated into different positions on the instrument; it also makes sight reading easier. Mr. Dolatko's exercises show the way to this goal in a clear and ingenious way. I recommend it to anyone who wants to make their violin playing more reliable and effective, be it in a chamber music ensemble, as a soloist or in an orchestra."
Students
THEA PISCATOR - Sweden
"Playing the rich variety of these exercises has, in the beautiful sense of the word, developed my playfulness."
MACIE WALLIS - Wales
"As a student I studied with Kristoffer Dolatko for six years and throughout this time I used these exercises as an integral part of my practice regime, and I can say that my improvement on the violin, technical and musical, was definitely benefitted by this. The ideas used in this book are easy to understand and are reflective of technical aspects of music I have studied since. They are enjoyable and have proved beneficial to my playing."
SARA BELIC - Norway
"I’ve worked with Kristoffer Dolatko for the last 4 years. During those years, I’ve tried and practiced a lot of his exercises, and they’ve helped me a lot. Not only do the exercises improve intonation, but also makes you sharpen your brain and ears. You gotta keep your head on track. I would definitely recommend Kristoffer Dolatko’s exercises, they’ve helped me in a lot of different aspects."
MAITENA PAILLET - France
"I recommend Kristoffer's Dolatko book because I've been practicing his exercises for over 3 years and I can see my improvement in ways no other method have. His exercises are brilliant and helpful to young as well as advanced musicians, it really makes a difference."
MICHELLE SCHULMAN - Sweden
"I started playing with Kristoffer when I was 13 years old and for the past five years I’ve practiced his exercises every day. They have been incredibly helpful for developing the technique of the left hand and I’ve noticed so much progress. My control and precision have improved and beyond technique Kristoffer’s exercises have also helped me develop my ear.
When I began learning new pieces, Kristoffer used to adapt his exercises so they would fit the challenges of each piece. Over time, I learned how to adjust them myself and now I do that all the time. I am so grateful for having had the chance to play with Kristoffer."